[Judge James J.] Morley went on to explain that children are comforted by pacifiers and perhaps cows are equally pacified by police officers in these cases: “They [children] enjoy the act of suckling,” the judge said. “Cows may be of a different disposition.” You are allowed to throw up in disgust at this point.

Morley ignored that one cow head-butted Melia in the stomach and appeared far from happy. The prosecutor objected that the cows were “very upset” by Melia’s action and stated “I think any reasonable juror could infer that a man’s penis in the mouth of a calf is torment. It’s a crime against nature.” The problem is that New Jersey does not currently have a ban on bestiality as opposed to animal cruelty.

If New Jersey wants to prosecute people for this kind of behavior, it has to have the appropriate statute on the books. What Melia did with animals may be disgusting, but it is more disgusting to convict human beings of crimes they have not committed.

I'm assuming he chose "calves" also because they don't have any teeth yet?

That'd be a big item on my pre-bovine oral sex check-list.

Seriously, though, I think that element of scienter should have been used to establish liability under animal cruelty in this case.

I'd argue the defendant may have chosen these animimals to commit these acts precisely because he knew they couldn't express their disapproval by the means natural to their species because of their immaturity.

Just as a human minor cannot grant consent, hence strict liability in statutory rape cases, these "minor" calves didn't have the means to express their refusal or the ability to defend themselves as is natural to their species.

Arguably, that exploitation of animal immaturity is cruelty unto itself.

Not necessarily.Common law offenses are not based upon having an "appropriate statute on the books." For example, Virginia does not have a statute outlawing robbery, but it is punishable because it is a crime at common law.

Like the prosecutor said, it is a "crime against nature," which is cognizable at common law (twice over).

Oh for freak's sake... the head butt was what calves do to get more. If you watch a calf nurse on a cow they *slam* their heads into the udder from time to time. Animals are not people. Their body language is not the same as ours.

Freeman Hunt, I think your statement about a police officer doing his job effectively after that is quite the understatement!

I agree with the outcome, given there was no statute broken and no animal hurt in this meley, but if ever there was an act that should get you on a sex registry (beyond the recognized ones of rape, etc.), this is it. This individual should never be allowed around children or people unable to protect themselves. I assume the New Jersey State Legislature will be passing a new law soon.

The guy is a certified pervert but the *calf* doesn't care if it's sucking on two or three fingers (which calves like and is a good way to teach them to drink from a bucket instead of a nipple-pail) or on something else.

Reading this new trend in human freedom brings to my mind two questions: (1)If New Jersey is progressive in Animal-human sex relations, will Bill Clinton now see how old fashioned he has been and reccomend beastiality be accepted on a state by state basis? (2)Is it just a lot of us old fashioned traditionalists seeing Man-Animal sex in the light of Scripture to be an abomination who believe that it should remain a crime? Not that there is anything wrong with abominations so long as a Harvard Professor is willing to teach for money and fame that they are the right thing to do.

Now you see this one-eyed midgetShouting the word "NOW"And you say, "For what reason?"And he says, "How?"And you say, "What does this mean?"And he screams back, "You're a cowGive me some milkOr else go home"

What is Chik-fil-A's geographic reach?I saw one in Baltimore last month.We're getting a third one soon. The drive-thru line wraps around the building on ours and parking is scarce. Someone's making a killing. Like their lemon pie, too.

I might testify to it at a bestiality trial, Gina, just because it annoys me so much when people anthropomorphize animals. A calf head-butting is not expressing fear or anger. Baby chicks do not suffer the lack of a mother's love. (No matter how cute a hen and chicks are.) Flock and herd animals don't mind being close together. A snake in a pen feels most secure alone with a cramped place to get into. Baby cockatiels make the most horrible angry hissing sound and it's really the sound they make to their parents when they want more food or attention. Animals have feelings but their needs aren't ours... some are social, some solitary, some hierarchical and some not. They aren't people, they're aliens.